This media group is under the authority of the National Assembly and operates the Legislative Television channel (TVL) and the National Assembly Radio channel (La Radio de la AN).
Media assets
Television: Televisión Legislativa
Radio: Radio Asamblea Nacional
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
The Medios Legislativos is part of the National Assembly. It falls under the office responsible for the Television and Radio of the Ecuadorian Congress, overseen by the Secretary of Communication of the Congress. The National Assembly’s President appoints the office and the secretary according to the Assembly Regulations. Additionally, the Medios Legislativos television and radio channels each have a leader who reports to the same office responsible for Medios Legislativos.
Source of funding and budget
The latest available data indicates that Medios Legislativos received a total funding of nearly US$ 468,000 in 2019. About US$ 301,000 was allocated to the television channel, while the radio station received a budget of US$ 166,000. All of the funding for this outlet comes from the state budget. There have been no further financial disclosures since then.
Editorial independence
Medios Legislativos relies entirely on the Congress, where the ruling party holds the majority. This is why the content aired on its channels is biased in favor of the president.
The Organic Law of the Legislative Function of Ecuador states that the national assembly (the country’s Congress) has the authority to create and manage “institutional media.” The law grants the Legislative Administration Council the power to establish the necessary regulations and norms to govern the operation of the media under the oversight of the Assembly and the coordination of Medios Legislativos. The broadcaster must adhere to a code of ethics that its staff are required to follow.
However, during this research, we have not identified any statute establishing the editorial independence of the media group. No independent assessment or oversight mechanism was identified to validate Medios Legislativos’ editorial independence either.
August 2024